Card holding device



Aug 19, 1952 RUBINOFF 2,607,594

CARD HOLDING DEVICE Filed April 25, 1948 sszn 250 HJJMMDONM IN V EN TOR. MHRK PUZ/ VOFF Patented Aug. 19, 1952 PATENT, orF-Ics I CARDIHOLDING DEVICE, 'Mar-k 'Rlibinoff, New York, N. Y. Application-Aprii23, 1948, Serial No. 227,760 4 Claims. (01. 273-148)" 1 This invention relates to card holders, and is particularly directed to. a device for holding play" ing .cards dining the playing of a game.

'In certain card games, suchasffGin Rummy for example, a stack of playing cards is placed on the table face downward from which the players draw cards as desired, and another stack is made up of cards discarded by the players as the game progresses, which the players place face upward.

At the beginning of the game of Gin Rummy the dealer deals ten cards to a player and "turns the eleventh card face upward on the table. The eleventh card is known as the knocking card which is placed i'ace upward on the table, and which is covered by subsequently discarded cards during the playing of the game. When the necessary number of cards has been dealt, the remaining .cards are :placed face downward on the table in a stack o-r pile separate from the stack or pile of discarded cards. Both of these stacks of cards are in neat piles during the early part of the game. However, after several of the cards have been withdrawn from the one stack it becomes untidy, and the stack of the discarded cards likewise becomes untidy as cards are discarded. In many instances also the cards of the stacks may be scattered over a greater portion of the table than is intended, duetothe carelessness of the players in withdrawing and discarding cards. i

Moreover, in withdrawing cards from the stack of face downward cards it frequently happens that a player will accident-1y withdraw more than one card at a time, thereby exposing the face of the next card to be drawn. A p

In playing card games outdoors, or indoors when a fan is in operation, the loosely stacked cards, are blown by breezes, causing difficulty in playing the game under such circumstances.

In the game of. Gin Rummy it is necessary for'the players to remember the'number of the knocking card and ofttimes that number is written on a sheet of paper which frequently is mislaid during the game.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a device for holding playing cards whereby the disadvantages above mentioned are overcome. I

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a device of the character indicated which will prevent the withdrawal [by a player of more than one card at a time.

Another object is the provision of a device which will retain the cards neatly stacked at all times, andwhich will prevent the cards being blown by wind by playin outdoors and by a breeze from a fan when playing indoors.

A further object of the present, invention resides in the (provision of adevice of the character indicated adapted to receive a'cover, whereby to provide a case for the cards when not in use.

A still further object reside or means for indicating the lcnocking' card reby the um here ff' ii a warjst visible during. the playing of; thefgame'. y

Other andjfurther obje'cts of'ithe present invention will be obvious from the-following description and the acom-panying drawing, wherein Fig. l is a plan view of the device as the same appears when in use;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, showing thecover removed; and V p Fig. 3 is a sectional view takenon line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to'the drawing in detail, the device, as illustrated in Fig. 1, comprises a tray, preferably made of plastic material, havinga bottom wall iii, side walls I2 and I4, and a central'partition [6 parallel with the side walls. The side wall I2 and the partition I'B define a compartment for one stack of cards, and the side wall I l and the partition l6 define a compartment for another stack of cards.

At the opposite open ends of each; comp'art ment spring members 18. are-mounted in sta gered relation. These members. each being iolen" tical, a description of the structure. of onewill sufiice. As will be seenfrom the member 18, which is a plate of spring metal, has one end 28 secured to the bottom wall Iii by a rivet 22, and is bentinto a U-shape with itsother end the number 18 is normally held'in its spring action. i

The width of each of the compartments is sub- 7 stantially equal to the. widthof a. standard playing card, or slightly wider, and the length of the compartments between thepo-p positely disposed members is substantially equal to the length of a standard playing card.

Cards discarded by the players during a game are placed face upwardly in one of the compartments, and when so placed will be properly positioned by the spring membersfllflof that compartment, so that the I, cards will always be properly stacked.

The cards of the stack, from whichthe players are to draw cards separately, are placed face downward in the other compartment. Whenit is desired to withdraw a card from this cornpartment, the player merely; Slides the top card toward him, whereby the leadingedge of the card engages the spring member i the end of the compartment from which itheiicard is be ing withdrawn, and moves the memberagainst the action of, the springoutwardl yof the compartme nt. When the card is completely withdrawn, the member under ,theaction or its spring material, willre'turri 1 to its normal vertical -posi tionand in so doing will engage 'any of the other he provisioncards of the stack that might have been moved, during the removalof the top card, and restore them to their normally stacked position, the member Ibeing retained in a vertical position in engagement with the vertical stop portion or shoulder 28 of the bottom wall.

As will be seen from Figs. 1 and 2, the staggered relation of the oppositely disposed spring members 18 of each compartment permits the player to insert his fingers between the member and the side wall or partition in withdrawing a card. The player may, if desired, move the member I8 by hand, instead of by the leading edge of the card being removed.

The central partition Hi is provided with a roller 30 rotatably mounted on a shaft 32 ins, recess formed in the partition, and has numerals from I to I0 on the periphery thereof. The partition is provided with a cut out portion through which a number on the periphery of the roller may be exposed, this roller is adapted to be rotated manually to expose the knocking card number, which remains exposed during the playing of the game. This roller has a snug fit in the recess whereby a braking effect is provided for the roller to retain the same in set position. It is to be understood, however, that a pawl and ratchet mechanism (not shown) or other conventional mechanism may be employed to retain the roller in fixed position. v

In addition to using the device for holding cards during the playin of a game in the manner described, the device may also be used as a case for a deck of cards when not in use. In this connection I provide a cover 34, shown in Fig. 2, which may be applied to' the device to provide a case for the cards.

While I have illustrated and described one e4 bodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to that precise construction, as obviously various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

l. A device for holding playing cards comprising a base member; side flanges integral with said base member and forming side walls for the device; a central partition intermediate said flanges and forming a common wall for a pair of card compartments, the said flanges forming the other walls of the compartments; said compartments being open at each of their ends to permit slidable removal of the cards therefrom; spring members disposed at each of the open ends of each of the card compartments for retaining the cards stacked in the compartments and being yieldable upon engagement thereof by cards being slid from a compartment whereby to permit the removal of individual cards, said spring members each having one of its ends secured to the underside of the bottom wall at opposite open ends of said compartments and having a portion forming spring means extending outwardly ofits respective open end and terminating in a substantially fiat vertically extending portion defining resilient end walls, and stop means formed on the base member adjacent each spring member and normally en aged bythe spring, whereby to retain the "spring members normallyvertical. H

2. A device for holding playing cards comprisinga bottom wall and'sid'e walls, a a iii n fr 4 mediate the side walls dividing the device into two open ended card holding compartments, spring members each having one of its ends secured to the underside of the bottom wall at the opposite open end of each of said compartments and having a curved spring portion extending outwardly of its respective open end and terminating in a substantially fiat vertically extending portion defining resilient end walls, and stop members formed in the bottom wall normally retaining said members in substantially vertical positions against the action of the spring portions of the members, said spring members being adapted to yield upon engagement therewith of cards being withdrawn from the compartments whereby to permit sliding withdrawal of the cards through a selected one of the open ends.

3. A device for holding playing cards comprising a bottom wall and side walls, a partition intermediate the side walls dividing the device into two open ended card holding compartments, the bottom wall having a recess formed therein at opposite open ends of each compartment, a spring member mounted in each ofsaid recesses having one of its ends secured to the underside of the bottom wall at the opposite open ends of each of said compartments and having a curved spring portion extending outwardly of its respective open end and terminating in a substantially flat vertically extending portion defining spaced resilient end walls, and stop members formed in the bottom wall normally retaining said members in substantially vertical positions against the action of the spring portions of the members, said spring members being adapted to yield upon engagement therewith of cards being withdrawn from the compartments whereby to permit sliding withdrawal of the cards through a selected one of the open ends.

4. A device for holding playing cards comprising a bottom wall and side walls, a partition intermediate the side walls dividing the device into two open ended card holding compartments, spring members each having one of its ends secured to the underside of the bottom Wall at the opposite open, ends of each of said compartments and having a curved spring portion extending outwardly of its respective open end and terminating in a substantially fiat vertically extending portion defining laterally spaced resilient end walls, and a recess and a shoulder providing stop members formed in the bottom wall normally retaining said members in substantially vertical positions against the action of the spring portions of the members, said spring members being adapted to yield upon engagement therewith of cards being withdrawn from the compartments whereby to permit sliding withdrawal of the cards through a selected one of the open ends.

MARK RUBINOFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 196,499 Tabony Oct. 23, 1877 717,888 Miller Jan. 6,1903 766,545 Sterl Aug. 2, 1904 1,206,550 Leach et al Nov. 28, 1916 1,320,798 Salambo Nov. 4, 1919 1,346,886 Halverson July 20,1920 1,533,880 Malwitz Apr. 14, 1925 

